Smithsonian Folkways and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival are proud to present a family concert celebrating the life and legacy of Pete Seeger in honor of his 100th birthday. It will take place on June 30th from 10:30am – 2pm on the National Mall. The concert will feature performances from The Bright Siders (a new group fronted by Americana artist Kristin Andreassen), Mexican-American singer-songwriter Sonia De Los Santos, Dan and Claudia Zanes, and popular children’s music singer Elizabeth Mitchell with her group You Are My Flower. This exciting group of musicians will perform songs made popular by Seeger, as well as originals inspired by Pete’s influential catalog of music for young people. Throughout his career, Pete Seeger frequently engaged children with music making, including his 1954 album American Folk Songs for Children, his 1974 visit to Sesame Street, and beyond. He once proclaimed, “Singing with children in the schools has been the most rewarding experience of my life.”

This program follows the release of Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, which includes an array of children’s music alongside hundreds of other classic and unreleased tracks from his massive body of work. The collection has been praised by Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Billboard, and others, and was featured by NPR’s All Things Considered with an interview with Smithsonian Folkways Curator and Senior Archivist Jeff Place.

Learn more about the 2019 Smithsonian Folklife Festival here.